Mumbles skatepark has been given a burst of colour, after skaters, their families and even the local PCSOs picked up spray cans to create a set of community murals.
The artworks are the latest project by Flip the Streets, the community initiative founded by Swansea University’s Professor Lella Nouri.
The scheme works with young people and their communities to create artworks that represent their values in the spaces they use — and to stand visibly against hate of all kinds.
For the Mumbles project, Professor Nouri and her team ran two workshops, asking skatepark users what it meant to them to belong to the skate community and how they might capture that in art.
Their ideas were turned into two murals by Fresh Creative CIC.
One features a bright yellow submarine, reflecting the many sea-themed suggestions, while the other is a giant “Mumbles” sign built around a spray-can character dreamed up by one of the users.
A scooter and a skateboard were worked in too, a nod to the mix of people the skatepark draws.
Everyone who took part in the workshops then joined a special mural day to bring the designs to life, alongside staff and volunteers from Mumbles Community Council.
Around 40 people ended up having a hand in the finished artworks.
Among them were two local police community support officers, who swapped their usual patrol for a pair of spray cans and added their own touches to the submarine.
Professor Nouri, from the university’s School of Social Sciences, said it had been a fantastic day.
“This was a brilliant example of what Flip the Streets is all about — bringing people together to celebrate the places that matter to them and giving young people and local communities a visible voice in shaping those spaces,” she said.
“The energy on the mural day was fantastic, with skaters, families, volunteers and PCSOs all contributing to something positive, colourful and lasting.”
She added: “These murals reflect the creativity, pride and sense of belonging that already exists in the skatepark community, and we hope they will help make the space feel even more welcoming for everyone who uses it.”
Flip the Streets was launched in 2023, first with funding from Race Council Cymru and now through Swansea Council’s Community Safety Partnership.
Since then it has helped transform spots in Clase, Gorseinon, Manselton and the city centre, with eye-catching murals taking the place of hateful graffiti and vandalism.
The Mumbles murals are now in place for skatepark users to enjoy.
